By
Cat Viglienzoni - July 19, 2010
The newly-capped Gulf of
Mexico well may look like a victory, but government officials are raising
concerns about possible oil seepage. The government and BP are disagreeing on
what to do about the well - the government wants to begin pumping oil to the
surface again, but BP wants the cap to stay on until the relief wells are
finished.
In a letter to BP Chief
Managing Director Robert Dudley, retired U.S. Coast
Guard Admiral Thad Allen said monitoring the sea floor is "of
paramount importance" because of seeping oil detected near the capped well
and "undetermined anomalies" at the wellhead. The letter also asked BP to
provide plans to resume pumping oil to the surface if oil is seen leaking from
the sea floor and reiterated the importance of the relief wells, which Allen
said should be the primary option for stopping the oil geyser.
A BP spokesman said they are reviewing
the letter and they are "continuing to work very closely with the
government."
However, others share the government's
concern. Senior scientist Jackie Savitz with Oceana, an ocean conservation
group, said leaks can mean the well is unstable.
"If we have a well that has integrity, then the oil won't
seep out anywhere. But if there are breaks in it, or if there are some
weaknesses in the drill bore, then that means that the oil can actually start squirting
out from other places," she said. "That would be really bad news."
Savitz said because BP will be fined based on the amount
of oil that they release, it is in their interest to release as little as
possible. But she warned that shortcuts caused the spill in the first place,
and taking more shortcuts could lead to a larger problem.
"If we're trying to keep the cap on because it makes a
nice picture but there's oil seeping out somewhere else, that's a big mistake,"
she said.
In order for pumping oil to resume, the leak would have
to be uncapped and fitted with equipment to siphon the oil up to the ships - a three-day
process in which the well would be flowing freely. But Savitz said it could
ultimately be a better solution because of the risk of more leaks appearing.
"Even if they have to take it off and fashion the siphons
onto it, it's still a good thing because it's still going to increase the
amount of oil that's being captured," she said. "Now don't get me wrong - you
know, none of this is good news. This is all less worse."
Lower-than-expected pressure readings at the well could
be a sign of an oil or gas leak on the seabed, Allen said in an earlier
statement. But BP's Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles said on Sunday the readings
indicated a depleting reservoir and no issues had been found
